Tempus
Also known as the Lord of Battles, is the god of war. His dogma is primarily concerned with honorable battle, forbidding cowardice and encouraging the use of force of arms to settle disputes. As do all the immortal Olympian gods, Tempus possesses tremendous strength. Moreover, he is a master of conflict and strategy with centuries of experience in the field, and has complete telekinetic command and mastery over any weapon. His armor is virtually indestructible and his weapons are greater than mortal ones. He can shapeshift his being into any form he wishes and can teleport himself and others. Tempus is served by all lesser gods of warfare or battle, and he opposes and is opposed by Mogis, who was formerly known as Targus and worshipped as the god of war in the now-fallen empire of Netheril until Tempus defeated him and claimed his station, reducing the greater god of war to the demigod today known as Mogis. Dogma Tempus' teachings forbid cowardice, require that his followers arm all who have need of arms (even their enemies), and teaches that war should not be feared, for it is fair in that all participants have the chance to rise to prominence or to die in the attempt. In this aspect, Tempus' mindset is somewhat Darwinian. Though Tempus thrives on war, he does not revel in dragged-out slaughter, and teaches that it is best to win a battle decisively rather than engage in a war of attrition. His ways allow for retreats from hopeless battles, but with the admonition that battle must be joined first to determine if it really is hopeless. Tempus and his followers respect valor, and honor their opponents even as they strive to defeat them. Tempus favors honorable tactics, showing favor to those who defeat their opponent on the field of battle without resorting to destruction of the enemy's homes, family, or to attacks from the rear (unless the enemy force is vastly superior). While Tempus encourages battle, he commands that the warriors first consider the consequences and not be reckless or indiscriminate in waging war. He also teaches that cowards and diplomats who are not willing to brandish or consider conflict wreak more damage than even the most violent tyrant, for those who will not fight to defend what they value are bound to lose it. Tempus slew many other deities aspiring to be the god of war in the past, and it is not certain why he tolerates Mogis' continued existence, having already defeated him once. Some scholars in the Realms believe that Tempus' dislike of mindless slaughter and bloodlust prompted him to spare Mogis so that he could represent those more vicious aspects of war. This is supported by the fact that the Tempuran liturgy stresses honorable combat, not wanton destruction. Sune sees Tempus as her enemy because of the destruction that wars wreak upon beautiful things and people, but Tempus does not consider her worth the conflict. Despite the fact that Tempus' dogma is diametrically opposed to that of Eldath and that he considers her naive for her pacifist outlook, he has commanded his followers to not harm those of the goddess of peace, seeing that war is meaningless without peace following, and he punishes followers who disobey that command. Category:Deities Category:Greater Deities